Action Research

Fundamentals

Action research is a holistic approach to problem solving rather than a single method for collecting and analyzing data. The data-gathering phases in the AR process typically involve a combination of methods, from surveys and questionnaires, to interviews and observations, to unobtrusive measures (e.g., archival measures, such as turnover rates, absenteeism, quality statistics). Based on the understanding that all data-collection approaches have strengths and limitations, AR typically involves triangulation across methods and forms of data. For example, while surveys and questionnaires are useful to gauge the attitudes, beliefs, and values of a particular population, since they are typically self-administered, there is no way to probe the information more fully. Thus, follow-up interviews, though more expensive and time consuming, can be used to probe and examine attitudes and opinions about various issues, which can often help to clarify causal relationships. At the same time, what people might say they would do in a particular situation might not necessarily correspond to their actual behavior. Thus, observing people in their work-related roles can provide [Page 15]further insight into those behaviors. Observation, however, is subject to researchers’ own perceptual biases—in essence, what humans “see” is influenced by their own feelings and biases. Thus, given these potential problems and limitations, an underlying key is that AR researchers should complement their data-collection efforts, checking the findings generated by one data-collection method with the data presented by another. Emphasis is placed on creating as complete a picture as possible on specific organizational situations, generating data on what organizational members think, feel, and do; drawing out how they work and the tasks they perform and their outcomes; and noting the relationships they develop with their coworkers.

Action research is not intended as a one-time event, which ends when a particular problem is solved and change is brought about. Instead, it is seen as an ongoing process to enhance organizational functioning by generating knowledge that is both valid and vital to the long-term well-being of organizations and their members. It is a progressive problem-solving approach that enables organizational members to develop a deeper understanding of the ways in which a variety of social and environmental forces interact to create complex organizational patterns. By involving participants in the entire process, from the initial design of the project through data gathering and analysis to initial conclusions and actions arising out of the research, AR designers create a foundation for continuous improvement and development. Each iteration adds to our understanding of the group or organization, the way in which it operates, challenges it faces, and ways of achieving its envisioned future.

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